I was venturing into Eighth Grade consumed by the sort of trepidation that usually accompanies me when I watch films whose acclaim doesn’t seem to have a logical origin. I was readying myself for an experience not too dissimilar from a film written by Diablo Cody whose strong personal voice very often protrudes from the characters and can overshadow the narrative if not tempered by directorial decision-making. However, it didn’t take long for me to realize that this wasn’t just…

From what I understand, and the documentary I Am Not Your Negro has helped me immensely in that regard, James Baldwin spent much of his adulthood – perhaps even his entire life – consumed by anger. This frustration at the myriad of instances of blatant injustice inflicted upon black Americans was likely the sole driving force behind his creative output as a novelist and playwright. Transcribed into fiction, Baldwin’s work was nonetheless honest and true and thus should be celebrated.…

Even nearly thirty years past its release, the lasting legacy of Martin Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ seems to be dominated by the memory of worldwide controversy and an increasingly hostile reaction it generated within The Catholic Church and countries with strong Christian presence. It is a bit of a shame because I don’t think either Scorsese or Paul Schrader, who penned the script based on the equally controversial book by Nikos Kazantzakis, had embarked upon this project with…

Although Alex Gibney’s Going Clear... and John Dower and Louis Theroux’s My Scientology Movie were released very close to one another, they don’t feel as though they were engaged in a competition for the title of the ultimate documentary about The Church Of Scientology. In fact, they are quite complementary: Gibney’s film is more informative and objectively comprehensive, while Dower-Theroux’s work is more interesting and thought-provoking. Thus, I think both films should be watched – perhaps even side by side…

Every single idiot hoping for a zombie apocalypse 'because it will be so cool' should be assigned to have a sit-down with "The road". Brutal, gritty, dull and depressingly sad, this film is probably the closest to what would actually happen in the event of shit hitting the proverbial fan. (Edit: though it has nothing to do with zombies, but a planet dying in a mysterious but straightforward fashion). It's never an easy watch and it does kick you in the stomach more than once, but it is simply a masterpiece.

Disclaimer: I think I should start by apologising in advance in case I lose decorum at some point and devolve into spouting profanity.

When I first watched James Gunn's Guardians Of The Galaxy, I liked it a lot and thought of it as Star Wars for the modern adolescents. It was nothing like other comic book adaptations and was quite self-contained and it wasn't bogging itself down with tying the film to other entries to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It…